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Monday, 13 August 2012

Cucumber Pickles

I'm starting to get some cucumber crops in now, the euphya cucumbers that I have grown indoors have done particularly well, and with lots more cucumbers to come, I've decided to pickle some of the large ones (including the strange one with the trim middle).1) Wipe the cucumbers, and then cut them into manageable and similar sized pieces. You can pickle very small cucumbers whole.

I like firm pickled cucumbers so used a dry brine. To find out how to pickle with a wet brine for softer pickles click here. 2) Put the pieces onto a flat tray (a baking tray is good) and cover with a generous layer of salt. Leaveovernight.

In the morning.3) It is best to make the spiced vinegar before you rinse the cucumbers to allow it time to cool. 500ml of malt vinegar was enough for my three large cucumbers, which fitted into three 0.25l jars. 4) Rinse the chopped cucumbers well to remove the brine. 5) Pack the cucumbers into cold steralised jars and pour the cooled vinegar over the top to cover. You could add a bay leaf to each jar. Seal the jars.

The pickles are best left for at least two weeks (I would suggest longer) before being used, to give time for the vinegar to really infuse into the cucumbers.